South Korea's First-Time Exporters Rise Nearly 4% in 2025
L'essentiel
- South Korea saw a nearly 4% increase in first-time exporters in 2025, reaching 19,746 businesses.
- Their combined exports rose 13.2% to $6.9 billion, marking the largest on-year increase in five years and adding vitality to the country's export sector.
Résumé généré par IA
Pourquoi c'est important
The number of South Korean businesses with no export records in the previous three years increased by nearly 4% in 2025, reaching 19,746. This marks the largest on-year increase in five years.
SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- The number of first-time exporters, defined as businesses with no export records in the previous three years, rose nearly 4 percent in 2025 from a year earlier, data showed Monday.
The total number of such businesses came to 19,746 in 2025, up from 19,041 a year earlier, according to the Korea Customs Service.
It marked the largest on-year increase in the past five years, adding fresh vitality to the country's exports, the agency said.
The companies' combined exports rose 13.2 percent from a year earlier to US$6.9 billion, marking the highest level since 2019.
By product category, machinery and computers accounted for 10.9 percent of first-time exporters, followed by electrical products at 8.5 percent and cosmetics at 7 percent.
The average export value per company came to $350,000, with exports remaining below $100,000 for 80 percent of the first-time exporters.
Questions ouvertes
- What specific policies contributed to the rise in first-time exporters?
- Which countries were the primary destinations for these new exports?
- What is the long-term retention rate of these first-time exporters?
